Alright, let’s talk about Jaxon Hayes. I’ve been messing around with some player analysis stuff lately, trying to get a better feel for how different players contribute to their teams. Hayes’ name popped up, and I figured, why not dive in?
First thing I did was just watch a bunch of his game film. I mean, a lot of film. I wanted to see him in different situations – pick and rolls, post-ups, defending the paint, the whole shebang. You can look at stats all day, but nothing beats actually seeing a player move.
After that, I started pulling down stats from various sites – *, Basketball Reference, all the usual suspects. I was looking for trends, things that jumped out at me. Like, what’s his field goal percentage in the restricted area? How does he perform against different types of centers? Does he get a lot of fouls? That kind of stuff.
Then came the fun part: data manipulation. I threw all the stats into a spreadsheet – yeah, old school, I know – and started crunching the numbers. I calculated his efficiency ratings, looked at his impact on the team’s offensive and defensive ratings when he’s on the floor, and compared him to other players at his position. It was a messy process, lots of trial and error, but I eventually got it sorted.
I also tried to get a sense of the “intangibles.” This is the stuff that doesn’t always show up in the box score. Is he a good teammate? Does he hustle? Does he make smart decisions? I read some articles, listened to podcasts, tried to get a more well-rounded picture of the guy.
Finally, I put it all together into a (hopefully) coherent analysis. I highlighted his strengths – his athleticism, his ability to finish around the rim – and his weaknesses – his inconsistent defense, his sometimes questionable decision-making. I also tried to suggest areas where he could improve.
It’s just a personal project, not some professional scout report, but it was a cool way to learn more about player evaluation and to understand what goes into analyzing a guy like Jaxon Hayes.
Here’s a quick rundown of what I did:
- Watched game film: Lots and lots of it.
- Gathered stats: From various sources.
- Manipulated data: Spreadsheets, calculations, the whole nine yards.
- Looked at intangibles: Read articles, listened to podcasts.
- Wrote up the analysis: Strengths, weaknesses, areas for improvement.
It was a fun deep dive, and I’m already thinking about who I’m going to analyze next!
